An IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) is spotlighted as essential information and communication technology for providing a new multimedia service in a next generation internet protocol (IP) based communication environment. The IMS is a set of nodes for providing various multimedia services and controlling calls in a mobile communication network environment. The IMS combines an IP network with the mobile communication environment. Accordingly, in the IMS, since a terminal and an IP network easily interact with each other, it is possible to provide multimedia services such as IP-based voice, audio, video, and data by using a mobile communication terminal.
One of the available signaling protocols of the IMS network is a session initiation protocol (SIP). The SIP is a call control protocol in an application layer for generating, modifying, and terminating an IP-based multimedia service session between user terminals or between a user terminal and an entity with an IP address by searching for a location of a target to be communicated with.
Among the various services provided through the IMS network, a converged IP messaging (CPM) service is technology for combining existing multimedia communication services such as a short messaging service (SMS), a multi-media messaging service (MMS), an E-mail service, a voice over IP (VoIP) service, a push-to (PT) service, and the like with one another and providing the combined service under an IP-based infrastructure. Unlike existing individual multimedia communication services provided through limited networks and terminals, in the CPM, it is possible to provide a converged service regardless of kinds of terminals, types of media, kinds of access networks, and types of services.
However, in the CPM system, there can be a large amount of data being communicated among a terminal and the CPM network entities in association with storage and retrieval of received CPM messages directed to the terminal. Thus, there is a need to provide procedures and devices for reducing or minimizing such data traffic in the network in order to provide an efficient message storage and retrieval system.